Player, Official, Administrator and Coach extraordinaire Dennis Clarke celebrates 40 years as Basketball Official

Jan 01, 2019 Sports

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The indefatigable Dennis Clarke who is well known in the basketball arena is celebrating 40 years as an official in a sport he fell in love with at the age of 12, represented Guyana as an 18 year-old and went on to be an administrator and coach.
Clarke, who is still very much active on all fronts except being a player; reflects on a stellar career from the perspective of being an official.
In looking back at my career from a holistic point of view, I would say it has been a rewarding journey which is still very much ongoing. The 69 year-old Clarke who will celebrate his 70th birthday on August 9th next, informed that he had to save his weekly pocket piece to buy a basketball back in 1961 which would cost between $8.00 to $12.00 dollars.
“My father told me I had to save and he would put the rest which he did (God bless his soul), likewise my Mother. I would wake up at 04:30 am, do all my chores, wake up the fowls and turkeys, clean the pens, water the plants in the garden and then go to the basketball court in East Ruimveldt, turn on the lights and start to bounce and do the things I used to see the senior players at that time, doing.”
“I would also encourage my friends to join me on the court. I distinctly remember one morning we were on the court and this tall white guy, he looked like a lantern post, height I would say about 7’ 3″, when he came on the court two of my friends ran away. The guy said he was watching us a couple of days and he would like to teach us the game.
His name I could never forget, Martin Hipskey from the U.S.A., he was one of our Coaches and we formed a team in the neighborhood club and named it, Harlems Globe Trotters. I was named the Captain and we ended up being the only new team that did not get beaten by a hundred score 90-30.”
Clarke recalled that at a very tender age he would frequent the Burnham Hard Court situated on Middle Street in the City which is still being used for the sport, it is actually the only outdoor facility around that can accommodate official matches in the city at the moment and Dennis; as he is fondly called, noted: “There is where I learnt to do everything in the box.”
He migrated to the United States of America where he spent ten years from 1968 to 1978 and returned to Guyana following the death of his mother. Whilst in the USA, Clarke informed that he did a part time job at a high school in Brooklyn, New York through the assistance of an African friend and it was whilst he worked there he developed the love for statics.
“This is so because whilst in the USA, I was privileged to able to attend numerous training programmes that the school held for officials. There were regular clinics for scorers, time keepers and statisticians at that time. Because I had developed a love for stats, I grabbed the chance to attend. On my return to Guyana, I imparted my knowledge to players, coaches and generally whenever I presided at basketball across the country.”

Clarke, who has earned the respect from all and sundry in the fraternity for his unflinching service to the game spanning well over 40-years has also served in various capacities at the Malta Pacesetters, Courts Pacesttters and Trinity Grid Pacesetters Basketball Clubs.
As a player, Captain for the First and Second Division Teams, Coach as well as Chairman all in a span of 50 years of yeomen service and still counting. Asked whether he is nearing the end of his service to the sport he has grown to love, Clarke said, “I can wake up one morning and decide to call it quits but for now, I will continue to serve as an official because this is what keeps me going, to God be the glory.”
Backing up a bit on his years of sharing knowledge which Clarke believes is one of the essential things lacking in the development of sports in Guyana, he reminisced that after attending many official clinics abroad in 1978, he returned to train Table Officials in Georgetown, Linden, and Berbice.
“I have also been serving as a scorer, time-keeper, 24-second operator and statistician. I was a time keeper and statistician at the CARICOM championships held in Guyana in 1981, 1988 and 1994. I was the chief statistician when Guyana won the Caribbean Female championship in Trinidad in 1996, also when Guyana hosted the Junior Caribbean championship in 1999.”
The never tiring Clarke also performed Chief Official duties at all international tournaments held in Guyana including visits by the D.C Jammers of the USA, Antigua and Barbuda, and Suriname teams and clubs. He has carried the whistle as a Referee in countless tournaments in Georgetown, Linden, Berbice, Plaisance, Buxton, Melanie, Golden Grove, New Amsterdam, Rose Hall and Bartica at Guyana Amateur Basketball Federation and Association level sanctioned competitions.
“I also did refereeing at all school tournaments and even ran the East Bank Village tournament for five years on Burnham Court. Recently, I went to St. Lucia as Assistant Coach and Statistician winning all preliminary games and losing by one point in the final of the Caribbean 3×3 tournament in 2017.
In addition, I won a gold medal in the Caribbean National Bank Tournament in 2010 (playing unbeaten), as Assistant Coach and Statistician winning in Barbados and as well as wining the CARICOM Senior Championship in Suriname this year.”
Clarke, who has undoubtedly made and continues to make an indelible contribution to the sport on and off the court, has already secured a place in the history books and whenever the GABA inaugurates its Hall of Fame, the name Dennis Clarke is bound to be considered.
He was honoured in 2017 by the organizers of the Brusches Basketball Classic which takes place in Linden for Outstanding Service to the community over the years. Recently, Clarke who does not know about resting, continues gathering knowledge, participated in the FIBA Americas Regional Referee and Table Officials Training Camp (April 19-23, 2018) held in Guyana, Facilitated by Mr. Fredrick Brown – FIBA Americas National Instructor and Mr. Robert Vazques – FIBA Referee.
In August last, Clarke held a three-week Clinic in Bartica for children between the ages of 9-19 apart from that he carried the whistle as a Referee in the 3 x 3 International Tournament held in Guyana in September as well as the Titan Bolt Youth Basketball Guyana tournament.

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